In May 2017, CNEDiMTS at the National Authority for Health (HAS) issued positive assessment of Urolift for add-on reimbursement via LPPR list. Added value was found to be minor in comparison with transurethral resection of prostate (TURP). This assessment provides better results compared to the earlier one in January 2017. Add-on reimbursement might be established within about one year period.

NHS England has announced expansion of the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme to cover another 25% of the population (Wave 2) in addition to the program, which has already covered about 50% of the population (Wave 1) and which was started last year. NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme is the program in England, which connects existing elements of health care system focused on prevention of diabetes and additional element of behavioral intervention for nondiabetic hyperglycaemia into a comprehensive program aimed on prevention of diabetes type II.

In March 2017, G-BA approved two additional indications for application of PET/CT for management of neck and head tumors in hospital settings after reevaluation of evidence by IQWiG in 2016. New indications concern decision making about need for neck dissection and laryngoscopic biopsy.

For 19 of the surgical procedures in which laparoscopic techniques are more common, such approach is used in less than 4 out of 10 cases. Differences in levels of use emerged between Northern, Central, and Southern Regions in which the laparoscopic procedures were used less often.

NCP is a program of centralized procurement of commonly used simple devices in the NHS in England. NHS Supply Chain makes procurement on behalf of all trusts and makes limited number of products available in its catalogue for order by individual trusts. The first products for centralized contracting in 2017 are couch rolls and blunt-fill syringes.

Recently the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWIG) published final report of evaluation extracorporeal shock wave therapy in patients with heel pain. On 31st of May, the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) requested manufacturers for notification of their devices for extracorporeal shock wave therapy before final decision will be given.

The Care Institute Netherlands (Zorginstituut Nederland) has released information that real-time continuous glucose monitoring is now included into the basic health insurance package for two additional groups of patients suffered from diabetes: women with diabetes who wish to become pregnant and patients with type 1 diabetes with repeated severe hypoglycemia.

New publication in Obesity Facts provides insights into cost-effectiveness of bariatric surgery in Italy ("Cost-Utility Analysis of Bariatric Surgery in Italy: Results of Decision-Analytic Modelling"). Bariatric surgery was found to be cost effective at 10-year and cost saving at lifetime time horizon.

The Ministry of Health and Care Services has decided to transfer management tasks related to the medical device area from Norwegian Directorate of Health to the Norwegian Medicines Agency from 1 January 2018.

Eleven national population screening programmes are implemented in the NHS on the advice of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), which makes independent, evidence-based recommendations to ministers in the 4 UK countries. The Screening Quality Assurance Service ensures programmes are safe and effective by checking that national standards are met. Changes in 2017 are related to KPIs for bowel, breast, and cervical cancer screening.

HAS published updated program that defines priority areas of work for 2017, including evidence review as part of developing new procedure codes for robotic surgery, endoscopic procedures, and technology assessments of remote monitoring, dialysis, coronary stents and others.